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Development more necessary than wins
Sports Reporter
A historic first win against Australia in the opening T20I of the five-match series went a long way to providing assurances, perhaps even overshadowing the areas that Bangladesh need to improve upon in the batting department in the coming matches.
One cannot question the batsmen’s intent was brimming with positivity from the start after Australian skipper Matthew Wade elected to bat at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
But there was a significant difference when it came to channeling that positivity with the bat as the Tigers struggled against a quality Australian bowling attack. Positivity is not defined by the batsman going after every delivery, instead it requires proper execution of plans with dashes of aggression and intelligence.
Soumya Sarkar (2) displayed a distinct lack of the latter, trying to make room to cut away a ball from pacer Josh Hazlewood and chopping it onto his stumps.
At the other end, Naim Sheikh remained solid and struck two gorgeous sixes off Mitchell Starc.
It seemed that the left-hander could capitalise on the start, but over-aggression got the better of Naim. He opted for a reverse sweep off a fuller Adam Zampa delivery and was bowled after a well-made 30.
Although Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad tried to take push the tempo with expansive strokes, the Tigers fell behind slowly as the Aussies were more focused on bowling dot balls.
That caused the batsmen to aim for big shots while ignoring singles and doubles. In the process, they kept losing wickets at crucial junctures.
When Nurul Hasan was dismissed in the 15th over, 42 of Australia’s 90 legal deliveries were dot balls, putting the hosts in a tough situation.
Shakib was forced to play big shots in hot and humid conditions, which drained the energy from him. He was eventually dismissed as Bangladesh’s top-scorer, making 36 off 33 balls before becoming Hazlewood’s third victim.
However, Bangladesh did manage to 27 runs in the final three overs and post a modest 131 for 7 courtesy of Afif Hossain’s 23.
It probably served as a reality check for the batsmen, who may have gauged the difference in the quality of the top-quality opposition, the likes they rarely face.
Perhaps the hosts were also confident of their game plan considering the nature of the surface, on which they eventually defended the total comfortably by a 23-run margin. But with an eye on developing the side further in the future, the Tigers must look to improve on the aspects that were missing yesterday.
PHOTO: FIROZ AHMED
Flavour of history
not remiss
Sports Reporter
Scenes at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday would have been very different in a pre-pandemic world.
Bangladesh registered their maiden T20I victory against Australia with a convincing 23-run win, but there were no roars from euphoric fans in the gallery to celebrate the triumphant Tigers after such a momentous occasion.
Struck by harsh reality due to the pandemic, fans of a cricket-crazy nation had to appease themselves by celebrating in front of their televisions at home instead of by thronging to the streets of the city as they usually do.
There have been many firsts for the Tigers, like their first-ever win against Australia in ODIs in 2005 in Cardiff, a maiden Test win against the same opposition in Mirpur in 2017 and a first Test victory against England in Mirpur in 2016. Every time, whether those wins came at home or away, the cricket-crazy fans had celebrated overwhelmingly on the streets.
Just how stark the difference was could be ascertained from the fact that even Shoaib Ali Bukhari, popularly known as Tiger Shoaib, had to get to the top of a building adjacent to the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur to enjoy the opener of the first bilateral T20I series between Bangladesh and Australia yesterday.
The enthusiastic fan, who paints his body like a Tiger and has been attending most of Bangladesh’s matches from the gallery over the years, had to stay content with waving the Bangladesh flag from afar as strict health protocols restrict spectators from entering the stadium premises.
Although Shoaib, like every fan of Bangladesh cricket, was not allowed to witness the historic victory from the gallery, his presence and support, gave the nation a chance to re-live the feelings that they had gotten during other historic moments of Bangladesh cricket.